"Haiti is not francophone. Haiti is Haitian(-Creole)ophone. This is something to be proud of, a testimony of the creativity and intellect of Haiti's ancestors - a group of people from different linguistic communities, forced together and enslaved, who created a new language to intercommunicate and eventually liberate themselves.
Haiti and the international community's dealings with Haiti will be much better off once this is understood and celebrated.
I have just spent several months in France, and honestly, I think Haiti is as francophone as France is anglophone.
Yes, most people in France know some English. Many people in Haiti know some French. By presuming it is ok to use only English in France, you are dismissive of the cultural legitimacy of their language.
If you presume it is ok to use only French in Haiti, you are dismissive of the cultural legitimacy of Haitian Creole. "
-TiWil
Mandaly says: Thank you TiWil. It needed to be said. Some foreigners are misled into thinking that they will be prepared to navigate in this Caribbean island if their French is good only to find out that they were wrong.
This happened to a group of missionaries in the summer of 2010. They were leading a youth group to Haiti and had searched the internet for French songs and leaflets - when they got to Haiti there were a lot of confusion.
I guess if you're going to deal with the very few elites and political officials then your French will open some doors in Haiti, but if you want to deal with the people then you need to use the Creole language.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Haiti and the international community's dealings with Haiti will be much better off once this is understood and celebrated.
I have just spent several months in France, and honestly, I think Haiti is as francophone as France is anglophone.
Yes, most people in France know some English. Many people in Haiti know some French. By presuming it is ok to use only English in France, you are dismissive of the cultural legitimacy of their language.
If you presume it is ok to use only French in Haiti, you are dismissive of the cultural legitimacy of Haitian Creole. "
-TiWil
Mandaly says: Thank you TiWil. It needed to be said. Some foreigners are misled into thinking that they will be prepared to navigate in this Caribbean island if their French is good only to find out that they were wrong.
This happened to a group of missionaries in the summer of 2010. They were leading a youth group to Haiti and had searched the internet for French songs and leaflets - when they got to Haiti there were a lot of confusion.
I guess if you're going to deal with the very few elites and political officials then your French will open some doors in Haiti, but if you want to deal with the people then you need to use the Creole language.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
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